


Pokemon Go!: Rewind

by Windryder1



Category: Pokemon GO
Genre: Blanche - Freeform, Candela - Freeform, Gen, Pikachu - Freeform, Pokemon - Freeform, Pokemon GO - Freeform, Pokemon Trainer - Freeform, Prof. willow, Spark, What adventures await the trio, harmony center, prof. kei windryder, strange new pokemon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-10
Updated: 2017-03-25
Packaged: 2018-10-02 04:31:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10209662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Windryder1/pseuds/Windryder1
Summary: An intervention on Blanche's work-a-holic behavior takes the trio on an adventure to bring back a data chip from a colleague of Professor Willow's.  A simple journey turns an unexpected page to the past that has all three reliving a pivotal time in their lives: their first Pokemon adventure.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Always remember details from all of my PG stories intertwine in a massive plot web I've been planning since day 1. Mwahahaha!

**Chapter 1: Salt in the Water**

Blanche preferred to work in solitude.

Aside from the low tones of instrumentals drifting from her computer speakers, and the various notification sounds from her lab equipment, her personal work space held an atmosphere generally sterile of conversation. She would exist in her head space, surrounded by the science she loved. The more effective lure modules, the attract and repel dusts, the potion sprays...all of her breakthroughs formed within a distraction-free environment.

_Crash!_

Blanche jarred to attention at her desk, tearing her eyes from their diligent focus on the latest probability numbers to roll in from the incubation lab.

Her steely gaze drove into the young trainer on the other side of her lab, scrutinizing her as the small Team Instinct girl frantically swept up the mess into a dust pan. Dammit. And she was so close to piecing the last threads of tangled information together.

She pushed loosed bangs away from her eyes in irritation. "Be careful with that," she growled. "It's not a toy."

"Sorry! It slipped." Ai scrambled to collect all the pieces. "I'll clean it up."

Blanche pinched the bridge of her own nose. Great. Another article of equipment to be replaced. She waffled between an all-out scold-fest on the trainer, or simply keeping silent.

Ai let out a small yelp and clutched her hand. A piece of glass had sliced her finger.

"Don't touch that. Go to Nurse Joy right now and get that taken care of before you hurt yourself anymore."

"But I can fix this," Ai pleaded, reaching for another piece. "I can help. I—"

"No, you can't. Just get out of here."

"But..."

"Go!"

Tears welled up in the young girl's eyes. She bit her lip to keep them from spilling over. She'd broken one of the Mystic Team Leader's petri dishes, and she'd failed to be useful. Blanche, like everyone else, still saw her as a klutzy kid incapable of anything. She couldn't cry in front of her and prove her right. Frantic to escape, Ai shoved the door to the lab aside and dashed into the hall where the tears slipped free despite her efforts.

Spark had to get out of the way before the ten year old ran him over. He blinked after her, then walked into the lab holding an active incubator. The white and green blotch-speckled egg hovered safely in the containment field. "You really have a way with kids, you know that?"

"What do you want, Spark?" Blanche's fingers rested against her right temple as she flicked the same irritated gaze up at him. Couldn't she just be left alone in peace today?

"Well, first of all, I'd like to know why my team member is crying." He set the incubator down on the table. "What did you do to her?"

Blanche went back to studying the information on the screen. "She broke a piece of equipment. I scolded her."

"Sheesh. That looked more like you ripped apart her favorite stuffed teddiursa. What did she break? Your spinny doohicky thingy?"

"...No, she didn't break the centrifuge." She sighed and swiveled in her chair to face him. "The lab is simply not a place for children."

"Didn't you grew up around a lab."

"I was different. Research and science are my home territory. Ai's is more like...the backyard."

"So she enjoys time in the field," he shrugged. "So do we."

"Your point, Spark?"

"My point is the point of today. The whole point of this exercise is to get members of our teams involved with the other teams. You know, 'keep your enemies closer.'"

She saved her work with a quick click of the keys. "We're not enemies. We're rivals."

"Seemed like a war zone in here to me."

She rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean."

He picked up a vile of liquid to peer through the purple, shimmering contents in the light. "What is this? It's looks like the inside of a lava lamp."

She deftly took it away and set it back. "It's a 'repel' compound I'm working on. Don't touch it."

He picked up another vile of yellow liquid, which she snatched back.

"Or that."

"I don't get you, Blanche. The other professors are getting along fine with their temps. My uncle hasn't chased away the Valor member from the incubation room yet –though I think he did give her an eye twitch from all the awesome puns. Candela hasn't burned the flesh off the bones of your team member yet, and I have one of her nerds in my lab right now putting his OCD to work. I'm going to have to put everything back where I like it when he's done, but I'm not telling him not to do what he's best at. I might learn from him. A geeky Valor is rare." He admitted. "We all understand how important this exercise is, but you're the only one fighting it."

"I'm not fighting it." She picked up a stack of files and moved them to a cabinet across the room.

"This," he gestured to the scene. "Is fighting it. Your assistant ran out in tears."

"Then find me a more capable Instinct assistant."

He picked up another blue vial and swirled the liquid. It began vibrating very softly in his palm. "Don't you remember what it was like being her age? How awesome it was to go on your very first Pokemon adventure?"

"No." She swiped the vial from him, replaced it, and moved the rest of the tray of vials away from his curious fingers.

Spark frowned. His friend clearly didn't have the ability to see anything from anyone elses point of view but her own. "Try?"

She glanced to the clock on the wall, then back to him. "Did you come here for a reason, or just to annoy me?"

Clearly, she wasn't going to understand where his concern for Ai came from. That girl and her best friend, Sam, were the youngest live-in residents of Harmony Center. He knew they felt they needed to work harder just to achieve the same goals as everyone else, and to be taken seriously by it. The lack of empathy in Blanche's eyes told him she wouldn't—or couldn't—understand.

Spark tapped the incubator's 'sync' button so its information would send to her computer. "This is ready to hatch in a kilometer. You requested that I bring it to you for study, so here it is."

It was an Eevee egg carried around the water sector. Alex and his twin sister, Amber Go, -both members of team Mystic—had done the honors. Their thought was that an egg known to be an Eevee kept completely within a specific elemental zone might have a greater chance of evolving into its next form to fit that particular zone. It was a theory. Hopefully, the Eevee within this egg would provide that proof.

Without another word, Blanche set the unit on the center table.

He leaned against the counter. "What's with you lately, Blanche?" The worry for his friend overwrote any previous nastiness in their conversation. "Ever since Aurora came back, you've been salty to everyone. Candela and I know you must be going through a rough—"

She cut him off. "Don't you dare pretend to know what I'm going through."

"Whoa, calm your canons," he held up his hands. Right now, she looked ready to liquefy him and pour him into a test tube. Part of him wondered what color he'd become. "We're here if you want to talk. That's all."

"I appreciate your concern, but there's no need for it. I'm fine." She returned to her work. "Thank you for bringing the egg."

And that was her way of ending the conversation. He didn't believe her. She wasn't acting like herself, and he had to figure out a way to make her see that. "Take it back to the incubation room when you're done," he waved lazily as he walked out. "Unless it gives you the wrong results and you feel like scolding it, too."

She huffed an exasperated sigh. "You can tell Ai to come back if she's willing to grow up. If not, then bring me someone else. Someone older than your mental age."

His eyebrows knit together. "Savage." Tossing one last glance at her, he left the ice queen to her solitude.

Blanche return the tray of liquids to their original place and opened the program again, losing herself to her work, and trying to push the recent conversation out of her mind.

How dare he. He's never been through what she's going through. He could never understand the world from her point of view, and she had to admit, she couldn't see a way to accept the world through his.  
\-----  
TBC


	2. Intervention Cake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New mission discussions over cake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying to keep my chapters short this time, but no promises. Also, sorry I haven't posted in a week. I'm getting over the flu.

Late that night, Blanche waited until the rest of the professors and trainers closed up their labs in their corner of Harmony Center for the day before she tapped in the code to lock up her own. 

The corridor to the main hall was void of life. Perfect. At least she could enjoy some silence before walking through the door of her shared apartment with the other two leaders, wherein she knew the blaring noise of a video game, and the chatter from Spark trying to cook would greet her. The faster she moved into her room, the sooner she could decompress. 

The usual live-in trainers wandered around with their pokemon. She greeted them as they acknowledged her, and made her way calmly to the stairs to the third floor at the west end of Harmony center. Most of the professors and trainers lived up there, but the three of them had the setting sun side to themselves.

The first thing she noticed when she opened the door was the darkness. All the lights were off, and the curtains over the floor-to-ceiling corner windows were drawn. This was unusual. She clicked on the light. 

“SURPRISE!” A chorus of voices exploded along with the cheers from various pokemon. 

“G’ah!” Blanche's adrenalin surged. She dropped her jacket and instinctively withdrew the pokeball holding her vaporeon. Her roommates, the four Go siblings (Takashi of Instinct, Alex and Amber-the twins in Mystic, and Marcus in Valor) along with Professors Willow and Maple, crowded the living room. The small Instinct member, Sam, popped up in front of the group with a slightly belated 'Surprise!' Ai curled up on the couch, silently brooding with her back to the door and hugging her Oddish.

Her fingers twitched to keep from releasing the vaporeon. “What are you all doing in my house?!”

“Uh, It’s our house,” Candela corrected. “And we’re throwing you a party.” 

Blanche relaxed and replaced the pokeball on her belt. “It’s not my birthday.”

“Good!” Spark held out a round cake decorated with white frosting and expertly placed strawberries around the rim. “Because this isn’t a birthday party. Uh...when is your birthday, anyway?”

Blanche draped her jacket over a hook by the door, ignored his question, and plucked a strawberry from the top to examined it. She read the text squeezed in blue icing onto the creamy white top. “’Happy I.D.K?’”

Candela tried to cover up a snerk, which ended in a snort of humor. “Nice work, loser,” she mumbled to Spark. “You had one job.”

Spark tried to hide an embarrassed expression of failure. “I told the guy at the bakery to write ‘Happy’ and whatever he thought would work, because I didn't know what to put. He took me literally.”

“It’s a nice cake,” she placated his effort and put the strawberry back, “but I still don’t get it.”

“Stop stalling, Sparky,” Professor Maple shoved his way through and wrapped his arm across her shoulders. “Lately, Blanche, you've been more bitter than a sack of depressed lemons. So, this is our way of 'squeezeing' those lemons into lemonade.”

“Remove your arm from my shoulder.” Blanch tensed. “Now.”

Maple slid a few inches away. "Case in point."

“It's an Intervention Party.” Spark grinned. "And you," he ate a strawberry, "are the guest of honor."

“I appreciate your concern, but you don’t need to do this. I’m fine.” Right then, she regretted uttering those last words, because the expressions on the faces around her told her those were indeed her final words. She tried to save herself. “Normally, an intervention means you intend on changing my behavior somehow, but I don’t see how a cake is going to accomplish that.”

“Of course you don’t,” Spark set it on the island counter top, cut out a slice and handed it to her on a plate. “Because it’s not.”

She refused to take the plate. “I don’t need an intervention. Everyone, please leave.” Blanche brushed them off to head to her room, but Professor Willow put himself in her path, blocking her retreat down the hall. “Professor, please.”

He folded his arms. “Spark’s right.”

“Hah! Don’t hear that every day!” Spark cheered. He dug into the slice Blanche denied and ate. “Mm, berry filling.”

“'Berry' good, too,” Professor Maple indulged in his own slice as the Go siblings cut their own. 

“It’s un 'berry'-bly delicious.”

“I want to ‘berry’ my taste buds in it.”

“Guys, this is serious,” Candela shoved a large bite into her mouth and spoke around the lump of food as she pointed the fork at them in a lecturing manner. “We need to be ‘berry’ sympathetic to Blanche’s situation.”

The others snickered.

“I don’t have a ‘situation,’” Blanche snapped. “And knock it off with the puns!”

The pokemon in the room shared knowing glances of disbelief. Even they knew she wasn't her usual self.

Professor Willow smoothly continued through the interruption. “The cake isn’t meant to be anything more than a cake. But the intervention is real.”

She folded her arms. “You can’t stop me from working. My progress here is too important to the Go program.”

“You’re right. But I can reassign you temporarily. Starting tomorrow morning, I’m sending you, Spark, and Candela on a mission.”

The two other leaders froze mid bite. “Wait, what??” They said together. “Why us?”

“This is her intervention party. What do we have to do with it?” Candela blasted back.

Professor Willow faced them all. “You three might be rival team leaders, but _you_ are a team. I think you’ve forgotten that.”

Blanche exhaled. “Then I respectfully decline the mission. I have work to finish here.”

“Don’t worry about that, boss,” Alex, pushed up the middle of his glasses, wherein Amber finished her twin's thought. “We’ve got it covered.” 

“I love how the program is named after us,” Takashi Go nudged his brother.

Marcus nudged back. “It's just a coincidence, and you know it. 'Goh' is a common surname. Our family dropped the traditional H.”

Spark finished off the slice of cake and served up another one for her. He kept the offering extended. “Come on, Blanche, it'll be fun. It'll be just like old times.”  
Her eyes flicked to the cake, then to Spark's eager grin, then back. She accepted the offer with a sigh. 

“Yeah! Road trip!” He pumped his fist in the air. “Uh...where are we going?”

Professor Willow leaned against the counter to eat his slice of cake. “You're going to retrieve some data for me from Professor Yarrow.”

“That's it?” Candela frowned. “We're errand boys? Can't you send one of our assistants for that?”

“I would, except this into a more dire matter.” He withdrew a datapad from his pocket and handed it to her. “The message itself is what has me worried enough to delegate this task to you three.”

“So, what kind of data is it?” Marcus Go sat on the back of the couch after after setting up a new game for Ai and Sam. He'd played against Spark enough times that he knew that system pretty well. The two kids occupied themselves with one of Candela's video games. 

Candela passed the datapad to Spark, planted both hands on top of Ai's and Sam's heads, and sneered. “Start a new save file, or I'll make your lives a living nightmare for the next month.”

Both kids stiffened up in fear with a squeaked staccato 'Y-yes, ma'am!' and did as they were told. 

“As stated in Yarrow's previous message, 'Important enough for Maple to drop his ego and take this seriously.'”

“Which, as we all know,” Professor Maple cut in, “means these deets are made of legendary epic proportions.”

Spark cringed. “That bad, huh? What's it about?” 

“We don't know. Said Team Rocket got wind of his work, so he'll only talk in person.”

Candela chimed in. “It has to be serious if Team Rocket is all over it like stink on a Muk.”

Curious, Spark turned on the tech to read the lines of script that flashed to life as his pikachu, Zipper, jumped up to his shoulder to get a good look out of curiosity. “'The light that burns the restless sea is where you met the real me-- reflected in the mirror of your eyes.' This is a lyric from an old sappy love song.” He handed it back. “I don't get it.”

“Only someone who knows him would.” Professor Willow placed it back into his lab coat's pocket. “This is Professor Yarrow's favorite song. He always picked this one in karaoke. The song originates from the Johto region, and the location is simple if you know the story inside the lyrics.”

“It's the lighthouse near Olivine city,” Blanche stated. She'd heard this song leaking softly through the walls of Willow's lab next to her own a number of times. “And you're sure this is where he wanted you to meet him,” Blanche confirmed.

He nodded. “The last message I received was from his laboratory in Sinnoh four days ago. If he's resorted to secrets and code words, then he's staying on the move.”

“Which is rare for him. The only time he ever left his lab was to attend the annual convention on Shamouti Island. He's kind of a weird shut-in.” Professor Maple devoured half of a slice of cake, and gave the rest to Candela's flareon, who immediately ran out onto the balcony so none of the other pokemon could snatch it. Zipper's attempts to swipe the treat ended with a blast of fire at his tail. “We got the message this morning, so Sparky-boy's Intervention Party had perfect timing.”

Candela glanced to Alex Go's squirtle, who put out the flames with 'water gun.' “Do you think anyone in team Rocket is smart enough to figure this out?” 

“No,” Professor Willow answered quickly. “At least...not until recently.” Professor Willow looked to the Mystic leader, who clenched her jaw in complete understanding of whom he spoke. He st down his empty plate. “Enjoy the cake and try to get some rest. You'll leave tomorrow morning.” 

“Road trip tomorrow!” Spark held up the last two pieces of cake. “So, who's up for killing off the rest of this ca--?”

_Slam_.

Blanche's bedroom door ended that mirth in its tracks. Aside from the sounds of the video game, the room went silent. 

He stood there awkwardly posed with a plate balanced on each palm. “Ok, she's out.” He set the plates on the counter where Zipper, and the squirtle dug happily into the sugary goodness.

Takashi crossed his feet at the ankles as he reclined against the couch. “Stuck on a road trip with the Ice Queen. I don't envy you, dude.”

“She's not so bad once you get to know her,” Spark shrugged. 

“How well do you know her?” he popped the last strawberry from the last slice into his mouth. 

“Eh...” he looked down the hall. His voice dipped to a more serious tone when he realized he hadn't been doing his job as a friend or a roommate. “Not as well as I probably should. But this trip is going to change that. It's gonna be awesome.”


	3. A Road to New Beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tensions rise on the trip to Viridian City, while a new Team Rocket misfit duo seeks redemption.

Cool breezes swept through the open-air jeep rolling smoothly down route 2 toward Viridian city. The scenery rushed by in blurs of patchwork green, occasionally offering views of small ponds or clearings off the road. 

Spark turned the radio to a loud morning show, stretched in the passenger's seat and put his feet up on the dashboard. His Pikachu sat between himself and the driver.

Blanche—the driver—cringed at the ruckus noise meant to rouse non-morning people, while Candela stretched out in the back seat with their packs of supplies. She exhaled when, thankfully, the show switched to upbeat music.

“Ah, the open road,” he inhaled the petrichore of a fresh new spring after last night's rainstorm. “It's been a while since we've gone farther than Pewter City for a few months.”

Candela watched the sky strobe past through the canopy of leaves overhead behind her sunglasses. “You just don't get out. I was in Fuchsia City last week, and Blanche visited Palette Town.”

“You were visiting family, and she was at a meeting with Professor Oak.” Spark countered. “This,” he sat up with fists clenched in determination, “is a mission. The fate of the Kanto region rests in our hands alone.”

Zipper imitated his motion with a loud 'Pika!'

“We don't know exactly what's on the chip. Making that assumption now is asinine.” Blanche stated.

“Nice of you to join the conversation after an hour of driving, Blanche.” Spark grinned. 

Her response was to simply turn off the radio. 

“Hey, I was listening to that!” Spark eyed her, annoyed, and turned it back on. Not willing to concede to defeat, she clicked it off again. This went on for a full minute of back and forth, back and forth, click, click, click, click, click, click.....

Candela's teeth ground together. Each twist of the dial and second of imperceptible audio jumble ground into her brain. Her fists tightened as a hot sense flared from her center out through her limbs, and heated the tips of her fingers. She lost her cool, leaned over the front seat, and rammed her shoe into the console. 

The radio shattered. 

“Pikachu!” Zipper jumped into Spark's lap. 

Blanche managed to maintain control of the car. 

“Whoa!” Spark held onto his fluffed out pokemon. “Hey!”

She sat back in her seat and exhaled, satisfied. The heat within her calmed. “Problem solved.”

Blanche shot an shocked look back to their passenger. “That was violent, even for you.” 

“Good thing it's a company car, then.” She leaned back with her arms behind her head. 

“Thanks a lot. Now we don't have anything listen to,” Spark frowned. He set Zipper back onto the seat and tapped at the black dial dangling from one wire. “It'll take the rest of the day to reach the docks. What are we supposed to do?”

Candela shrugged lazily. “You'll think of something.” 

Spark slouched in the seat. He should have rallied to go on this mission alone.

The jeep sped down the road in silence for another half hour to Viridian city. Spark watched a flock of pidgey soar by overhead with envy. Maybe no one would notice if he let Zapdos out and hitched a ride. He shook his head. Even he knew it couldn't be that easy. This was a mission of speed, but also of stealth, and three--or even one--powerful, rare, legendary pokemon would draw far too much attention from all sources, and the wrong attention from Team Rocket.

In Spark's mind, they couldn't get there fast enough. Being stuck in that metal tin with the other two exuding auras of repressed rage kept him on edge. His instincts warned him this was a time bomb ready to explode. Fighting with them to blow off steam started sounding better and better as the minutes ticked by.

They pulled into the parking lot of a Pokemart in Viridian City to fill up on travel snacks, pokemon food, and make use of a bathroom break. Candela left her Arcanine in the backseat to guard the vehicle and their camping gear. 

* * * *  
Two people slouched at a table on the veranda of the cafe next door. They wore expressions of those who bore the weight of complete defeat. 

“I can't believe they kicked us out,” Eian's head thunked to his arms crossed on the table. Strands of his dark hair brushed the the table's surface next to a plate with a half eaten bagel.

Lauren leaned back in her chair. Her wide brimmed white sunhat shaded her eyes in perfect accent to her bleak mood. “And after all we've done for them, this is the thanks we get. We shined their shoes, and Team Rocket still gave us the boot.” 

“Well,” He looked up at her, sprawled like a rag doll in the chair. “We did lose that flock of spearow. And broke five net launchers. And let the Instinct twerp escape the cave. And after that, we broke six hole diggers trying to dig traps in the mountains--”

“--Through granite--”

“--Lost the boss's aunt's favorite set of diamond earrings picking them up from the cleaners--”

“--Which she'll never forgive us for; that angry, vile woman--”

“--Destroyed the new base in the Cinnabar island ruins--

“--They were already ruined, we didn't add much to the decor--”

“--Set fire to the boss's office--”

“--Releasing a wild magmar indoors wasn't the brightest idea we've had--”

“--and wrecked the company zeppelin in the Orange archipelago. I could go on.”

“Please don't.” She whined. “My name is synonymous with 'loser' enough as it is.”

“But we have hope, Lauren. We're not alone in our winners circle of losers.” Eian lazily bit into the other half of the bagel, still keeping his head on his arms. He spoke around the food. “Two more famous bumbling idiots who've screwed up far more times than we have come to mind.” 

She glanced at him. “Bonnie and Clyde? I can't stand those two.”

“No, the other two.” 

“Oh, them” Lauren set her hat on the table to shake out her long brown hair. “But the fact that Jesse and James are still employed and we aren't means...”  
Both buried their faces into their arms in shame and sobbed, “We're officially Team Zero!”

“Maybe we should change our names.” Eian mumbled hopelessly. 

Lauren lifted her head, tears shining in her green eyes. “A new us; a new life?”

He did the same. “To start over right.”

A small smile lifted her lips. “So what'll our new names be?”

He held his finger in the air. “What about Ginger and Roger?”

“Too old school.” She shook her head, shooting down the idea.

“How about Wynona and Ryder?”

“Or Katie and Perry?”

“Or Dee Dee and Ramone?”

“Oo, that strikes a chord with me.” She tapped her finger against her coffee mug. “But I need something with finesse, with grace and style!”

He pushed his bangs back. “Oozing of class, intelligence, and strength!”

“We need something bold, something that screams 'we're not losers.'”

They both gasped, grasped each other's palms and said with smiles of victory, “Alice and Cooper!”

This victory, however, followed up with a defeated sigh. “That's not right at all,” 

“These names are already taken by Rocket teams. We need something that is entirely ours.” Eian sat up straight with an idea. “I've got it. Beni and Jet!”

Her head slowly rose. “Why Beni and Jet?”

“It's simple, Classy, intelligent, and rolls off the tongue. No one has used it yet, and it fits into our catch phrase.” He explained. “Besides, if we want to become famous in our new lives, we'll need something easy for our future fans to remember.”

Her spirits lifted with the idea. “I like how you think... Jet.”

“I appreciate your gratitude...Beni.” 

They both chuckled at their new-found freedom in identities.

A brisk wind picked up, tossing Lauren's...now Beni's... hat into the air. She gasped and sprang up out of her chair to chase it. “No! I may still be a nobody, but I will not sacrifice my dignity!” She dove over the planter box separating the pokemart from the cafe, snatched her hat out of the air, and rolled into the sidewalk.

Spark sidestepped. “Are you ok?” 

She stood, brushing off her hat and plopped it back onto her head. She brushed down her messed up locks. “I'm fine. Get out of my way,” she pushed past him. “I...” Her eyes widened and she pulled the brim of her hat down.

“Whoa, ok, sorry.” He held up his hands and walked inside. He didn't need any more women angry at him.

Beni made a beeline back to their table at the cafe, snared her purse, and Eian...now Jet... by the wrist and hauled him out of the seat with the bagel still clenched in his teeth.

He cried out around the food. “But we haven't paid the tab!”

“Who cares about that!” 

“We're not starting over as common criminals.”

She rolled her eyes, “Fine, but I'm not tipping,” dropped a few bills onto the table to cover the cost and yanked him away.

She dragged him across the street quickly into the next building –a fabric shop, slammed through the door to the stairwell, and ran three floors up to the rooftop. She let him got at the edge and rifled through her purse. 

“Beni, what--” His question cut off when she held a set of foldable binoculars up to his eyes. “Oh, I can see our table from here.”

“Look at the pokemart.”

“Oo! They're having a sale on spicy poffins. My geogude will enjoy those.”

“No, you idiot, look at who's walking _out_ of the pokemart.” She snarled. 

Jet took hold of the binoculars and watched. Within moments, the doors slid open to reveal two women –one with short dark hair and one with long white hair--and a man with blond hair carrying bags of goods. The brunette carried most of the weight and easily tossed the bags into the back of a jeep, then pet the panting Arcanine guarding it before recalling it to its pokeball. 

“Hey, those are the three team leaders of Harmony Center.” 

She swiped them back to look. “That Instinct twerp, Mystic know-it-all, and Valor brat never leave the center at the same time without the professor.” She peered through the binoculars. “They must be up to something.”

“Maybe they're here for the sale, too?”

She pondered on that for a second. “This place does advertise their own special blend, so it's possible—No, they're not! They're up to something! I know it.”

He pushed his bangs back and squinted to see that far without an aid. “How do you know they never leave at the same time?”

“Didn't you read the memo from Aurora during the operation?”

He folded his arms. “Too long. Didn't read.” He humphed at her sigh of irritation. “What? She keeps extensive details.”

“She noted in the months that Harmony Center was open, that those three never left together without Professor Willow, and if they did, their trips were short. We centered the spy excursions on when they were gone, don't you remember?” She knocked him on the head with the binoculars.

“Ow! I do now. You jarred my memory,” he rubbed his head. “That's when we lost the flock of spearow and were put on cave duty.” 

The white haired woman took her seat behind the wheel while the blonde man got into the passenger's side. He gave the pikachu with him a poffin to munch on.

“They're leaving,” Carl withdrew his phone. “We should call the boss and tell him.” His finger hovered over the dial pad. “Do you remember his direct office line? Aurora made me delete it from my contact list.””

“We're not calling anyone!” In two seconds, the phone was ripped from his hand and thrown over the edge. 

“Ah!” He planted his hands on the cement and watched in horror as his phone shattered against the sidewalk. “I had photos in there,” he sniffled. “What did you do that for?!”

She grabbed his hand and held it in both of hers. “Jet wouldn't cry over a phone. Don't you get it? This is our chance! If we can figure out what they're up to, stop them or steal whatever it is they're going for, then we can prove to the boss and everyone at headquarters that we're not complete inept imbeciles! All three leaders out at the same time means they're up to something huge, and we're going to find out what.”

“But why sacrifice my phone?” He teared up. 

“Forget your phone.” She folded up the binoculars and stuffed them into her purse. “We have nothing left to lose. Let's use this to create a new and better beginning for Beni and Jet.”

He nodded. “You're right. We'll start by nabbing whatever they're after. Then the boss will surely take us back, and make us his highest ranking duo.”

“Say good-bye to the past.” She chuckled lightly and stood, shouldering her purse. “Our destiny awaits! It's our way and the highway!”

“I vote the high road.”

“Let's go!”

He watched her run back down the stairs right into a member of the store staff to explain away why they ran onto the roof, then looked over the edge at the black mess of tech. “Maybe the data chip survived.”

_Crunch!_

He cringed as someone rode their bicycle over it. “Or not.” 

* * * *  
Blanche sped up slightly away from the city down route 22 at the upper end of the speed limit --just enough to not get pulled over. They wouldn't reach the docks until night fall, but the sooner they got to the end of route 27 to catch the boat to Azalea town, and then a ride to Olivine City, the sooner she could get away from these two bird brains. The tension at being in close quarters with them for even This long was beginning to grow within her – which dredged up curiosity. They lived together in the same apartment in the same gym/facility/research center. Their cohabitation had existed for six months, and yet she never felt the grating need to punch them in the face as strongly that entire time. It was like something holding that urge at bay had been removed. 

She felt it ping through her core. The sense came from Articuno tucked safely away within its ultra ball. Blanche kept her mouth shut and pushed her own logic through to the titan.

It fought her. This trip would go much faster if these problems were simply removed. 

She grit her teeth and listened to Spark humming a tune while tapping his foot against the dash. As annoying as it and he were, it allowed her to focus on something other than Articuno's desire to beat the snot out of the other two. “Spark?” 

“She broke the radio." Spark pointed accusingly to their back seat resident. "This is all I have. I'm not stopping and you can't make me.” 

“What song is that?”

He'd expected a reprimand instead. “Uh,... 'Adamant' by the Cool Kids. It's been stuck in my head all day.”

“Oh, I know that song!” Candela piped up and starting singing a lyric. 

This was a much welcomed change to the past incident. Spark increased the fervor of the percussive beats. Even zipper got involved with singing as he jumped into the back with the Valor leader and did his best. 

Spark's sense of a ticking time bomb dissolved when he heard a light, smooth humming from the drivers seat. Blanche had quietly joined in. 

This, Spark thought as they drove toward Mt. Silver, is how things should be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was originally going to go with "Carl and Claire," but decided at the last moment to change it to "Beni and Jet." Which duo do you like best? Leave a comment below and let me know. :)


End file.
